Problem Solving and Creativity

Learning Outcomes: explain the four criteria of creativity by

Torrancepractice creative thinking apply problem solving skills

EDWARD PAUL TORRANCEKnown as the "Father of Creativity" for his

nearly 60 years of research that became the framework for the field of gifted education.

He was professor emeritus of educational psychology

He invented the benchmark method for quantifying creativity

EDWARD PAUL TORRANCE The "Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking"

helped shatter the theory that IQ tests alone were sufficient to gauge real intelligence. The tests solidified what heretofore was only conceptual - namely that creative levels can be scaled and then increased through practice.

EDWARD PAUL TORRANCE

Advance OrganizerProblem Solving/ Creativity

Torrance’s Creativity Framework

Creative Problem Solving (CPS)

Six Stage of CPSFluency

Flexibility

Elaboration

Originality

Activity

Remove 8 matches to leave just two squares, which should not touch.

ActivityWhat would happen if humans had one more eye at the back of their head?

Hmmmmm

Torrance Framework for Creative Thinking

Fluency

Fluency refers to the production of a great number of ideas or alternate solutions to a problem. Fluency implies understanding, not just remembering information that is learned.

Fluency

Key wordscompare, convert, count, define, describe, explain, identify, label, list, match, name, outline, paraphrase, predict, summarize

Fluency

Application activitiesTrace a picture and label its parts.Outline an article you find on your topic.How many uses can you think of a clothes hanger?

Fluency

List 15 things that are commonly red or contain red.

Example: Apple, blood, brick, caboose, cherry, Christmas stocking, exit sign, fire alarm, flag, heart, red nose reindeer, rose, tomato

Flexibility

Flexibility refers to the production of ideas that show a variety of possibilities or realms of thought. It involves the ability to see things from different points of view, to use many different approaches or strategies.

Flexibility

• Key words Change, demonstrate, distinguish, employ, extrapolate, interpolate, interpret, predict.

Flexibility Application ideas What would happen if ... there were no automobiles How would a ... dog look to a flea? How is _______ like ________? How would you feel if ... you were invisible for a day?

Flexibility

How would you group the ideas about "red" into categories?Example: fruit, safety features, vehicles

FlexibilityOnce categories are identified, fluency may be further demonstrated by generating more ideas about the idea red within categories. Even a modest attempt could result in the following lists, recognizing that the creative thinking process may shift the mind in a spiral way between all four aspects of creativity.

Flexibility

Red fruit Red safety features Red vehicles

apple exit sign caboose

cherry fire alarm fire truck

raspberry stop sign tricycle

tomatoe tail lights wagon

Elaboration

Definition Elaboration is the process of enhancing ideas by providing more detail. Additional detail and clarity improves interest in, and understanding of, the topic.

Elaboration

Key words Appraise, critique, determine, evaluate, grade,

judge, measure, select, test.

Elaboration Application ideas Tell your neighbor about your last family trip using as many detail as possible. What can you add to_______ to improve its quality o r performance? Describe all the possible characteristics of the red quality in a wagon Example: Shade, finish, texture, uniformity.

Elaboration

Describe all the possible characteristics of the red quality in a wagon Example: Shade, finish, texture, uniformity.

Originality

Definition Originality involves the production of ideas that are unique or unusual. It involves synthesis or putting information about a topic back together in a new way.

Originality

Key words Compose, create, design, generate, integrate, modify, rearrange, reconstruct, reorganize, revise.

Originality

Application ideas Find an original use for_________. What would be the strangest way to get out of bed? Design a new___________ that is better than the one you have

Originality

Write an unusual title for the ideas about red.

Example: Revolutionary "Red" Representation.

Creative Problem Solving

• Is an intentional process for solving and problems and discussing opportunities.

• It espouses the use of creativity in the 1950’s Alex Osborn described this process in his book, Applied Imagination.

• Osborn opened the process in the public domain which mean anyone can use it.

• Over the years countless people have utilized the CPS in various fields and endeavors.

Osborn’s Checklist, the origin of the Classical Brainstorming is the root of creative problem solving (CPS). There are variety of general structures:define problem, generate possible solutions, select and implement the best’ which can be found extensively, in several different academic tradition.

The following , based on Van Gundy (1988’s) description, is a very brief skeleton of a very rich process, showing it in its full ‘6 x 2’ stages form:

• Sensitise yourself (scan, search) for issues (concerns, challenges, opportunities etc.) that need to be tackled.

1. Mess Finding

1. Mess Finding• Divergent techniques include ‘Wouldn’t It Be Nice If…’

(WIBNI) and ‘Wouldn’t It Be Awful If…’ (WIBAI) – brainstorming to identify desirable outcomes, and obstacles to be overcome.

• Convergent techniques include the identification of hotspots (Highlighting), expressed as a list of IWWMs (‘In What Ways Might…’), and selection in terms of ownership criteria (e.g. problem-owner’s motivation and ability to influence it) and outlook criteria (e.g. urgency, familiarity, stability).

2. Data finding

• Gather information about the problem

2. Data Finding• Divergent techniques include Five Ws and H (Who, Why,

What, When, Where and How) and listing of wants, sources and data: List all your information ‘wants’ as a series of question; for each, list possible sources of answers; then follow these up and for each source, list what you found.

• Convergent techniques again include: identifying hotspots (Highlighting); Mind-mapping to sort and classify the information gathered; and also restating the problem in the light of your richer understanding of it.

3. Problem Finding

• convert a fuzzy statement of the problem into a broad statement more suitable for idea finding.

3. Problem Finding

• Divergent techniques include asking ‘Why?’ etc. – the repeatable questions and Five Ws and H.

• Convergent techniques include Highlighting again, reformulation of problem-statements to meet the criteria that they contain only one problem and no criteria, and selection of the most promising statement (but NB that the mental ‘stretching’ that the activity gives to the participants can be as important as the actual statement chosen).

4. Idea Finding

• generate as many ideas as possible

4. Idea Finding

• Divergence using any of a very wide range of idea-generating techniques. The general rules of classical brainstorming (such as deferring judgement) are likely to under-pin all of these.

• Convergence can again involve hotspots or mind-mapping, the combining of different ideas, and the short-listing of the most promising handful, perhaps with some thought for the more obvious evaluation criteria, but not over-restrictively

5. Solution Finding

• Generate and select obvious evaluation criteria (using an expansion/contraction cycle) and develop (which may include combining) the short-listed ideas from Idea Finding as much as you can in the light of these criteria. Then opt for the best of these improved ideas (e.g. using Comparison tables).

Dianne Carmela Dela CruzFranzel del Mundo